Notes on BSB-I-i-1-1B

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Notes on BSB: I-i-1-1B

 

sadaashiva samaarambhaa.n sha~Nkaraachaarya madhyamam.h |

asmadaachaarya paryantaa.n vande guruparamparaam.h ||

 

I prostrate to the lineage of teachers starting from Lord Shiva who is ever

auspicious and with Bhagavaan Shankara in the middle and all the way up to

my own teacher.

 

vaatsalya ruupa.n triguNairatiitaM

aananda saandram amalairnidhaanam.h .|

shrii chinmayaananda guro praNiitaM

sadaa bhaje.aha.n tava paada pa~Nkajam.h ||

 

Who is the very embodiment of motherly affection who is beyond the three

guNa-s, who is full with bliss, and who is the very source of purity who is

the best among the teachers, Shree Chinmayaananda, to his lotus feet I

(sadaa) always prostrate.

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samanvaya adhyaaya - I

spashhTa brahma li~Nga vaakya samanvaya paada- i

jij~naasaa adhikaraNa 1

suutra 1: athaato brahma jij~naasaa

 

P.S. Since for some reason single or double quotation marks are not coming

properly through e-mail, I am using hyphen to separate the Sanskrit words

from the text.

 

Now the word analysis of the sutra 1:

 

There are three words - atha ataH brahmajij~naasaa . The last word is the

compound word consisting of brahman and jij~naasaa. sha~Nkaraachaarya

analyzes each word in the order that it occurs. This is one of the

requirement for a bhaashhya as defined in the Ch. 1.

 

atha shabda vichaaraH: analysis of the first word, atha:

 

sha~Nkaraachaarya points out the expression -atha- has two fold function;

one is -atha- as a sound (shabda ruupena) and second is -atha- as the word

(pada ruupena). In the form of a sound, it denotes or produces

auspiciousness. That is, -atha-, shabda ruupena mangala janakam. The very

sound of the word -atha- as mere vibration (shabda ruupena) produces

auspiciousness(mangala janakam). When the word -atha- functions as a

-padam-, then it is -artha bodhakam- that it provides a particular meaning.

To be technical, Shankara says: prameya ruupena mangala janakam, pramaaNa

ruupena arthabodhdakam.

 

 

Why does Vyaasaachaarya uses this word -atha- in this two-fold

function? Because, this is the first suutra of the text and should

therefore begin with mangalam or auspicious sound. In our tradition, any

text that begins without the mangalam is considered as amangalam text or

inauspicious text, and we are not supposed read that. Hence every text

starts with some prayer sloka. This is benediction for removing any

obstacles (vighna nivaaraNaartham) and receiving the blessings of the Lord

for the successful fulfillment of the work. In addition, it is the

recognition by the author that it is an offering to the Lord and that the

Lord is behind the action both as an propeller

and a supporter, without whose help the work cannot be undertaken. It is

also an invocation by the student of the shaastra to help understand the

shaastra in its correct import. Since Vyaasaachaarya is writing the text in

suutra form, one cannot have an invocation sloka. He has to reduce the size

of the sloka to a word or two since this is a suutra text (alpaaksharam).

Vyaasa ingeniously uses just one word to do both functions mentioned above.

 

How do we know that the sound 'atha' is auspicious? There is a

pramaaNa for this:

 

o~NkaaraH cha atha shabdaH cha dwau etau brahmanaH puraa |

kaNTham bhittvaa viniryaatau tena maa~Ngalikau ubhau || - reference?

 

Before the creation started two sounds, Om! and atha!, issued forth from the

throat of the creator, Brahma. Hence these two are considered as auspicious

sounds. The two words -Om- and -atha- are ma~Ngala shabda-s. The two words

are used in the conclusion of dhyaana slokas as - Om atha | Om atha | Om

atha | - In the Geeta, chapters start as -atha prathamo.adhyaayaH- because

-atha- sound is considered as auspicious sound.

 

Now padaartham - word meaning:

 

 

The word -atha- has many meanings according to amarakosha: it says

mangala, aarambha, adhikaara, prayojana, atha shabdaH | It includes many

meanings such as auspiciousness, beginning, qualification, benefit, etc.,

besides other meanings such as now, then, moreover, rather,

certainly, but, else, whatelse, howelse, etc. sha~Nkaraachaarya analyzes

various possible meanings and ultimately arrives at one particular meaning

with reference to Brahmasuutra. That meaning is -aanantaaryaaH atha shabdaH

- the word means -anantaram- or thereafter or immediately after. What does

that mean? Shankara says, if we take that meaning, naturally a question

will arise in the mind of a listener as to -Whereafter?- Vyaasachaarya by

implication can convey the pre-requisites in terms of qualification for the

study of the Brahmasuutra - or adhikarii for the study of the suutra - which

is one of the four requirements (anubandha chatushhTayam) of any text as

outlined in the beginning. Any study should be after - yogyataa siddhi

anantaram brahma jij~naasa - after acquiring the necessary qualifications

one should inquire into the nature of Brahman. Thus by using the word

-atha- Vyaasaachaarya implies the -niyama apekshita yogyataa-, the

qualifications which should invariably proceed the study or invariable

prerequisites, similar to the requirements for any higher course in any

subject in a university. Now what are the invariable prerequisites for the

study of Vedanta? Shankara says- saadhana chatushhTayam is the

prerequisite. This is not directly mentioned by Vyaasa but it is indirectly

implied by Vyaasa. By using a single short word with two syllables Vyaasa

is able to convey in the suutra format the prerequisites needed for the

study, the saadhana chatushhTayam. Hence the implied meaning of the word

-atha- according to Shankara is -saadhana chatushhTa anantaram- - after

acquiring the four-fold qualifications. Of this, -after- is the direct

meaning, and the rest is the implied meaning.

 

 

The next question is, how does one know that saadhana chatushhTayam or the

four-fold qualifications are the prerequisites? The four-fold

qualifications are outlined in the beginning of this chapter. There are two

pramaaNa-s to show that saadhana chatushhTayam are the prerequisites for

Vedantic study. The first is -yukti pramaaNam- or based on logic. The

logic is called -anvaya vyatireka nyaaya - or the logic of co-presence and

co-absence. This logic can be simply stated as: -yat sattve tat sattvam,

yadabhaave tadabhaavaH, tasmaat tat tasya kaaraNam | meaning, when that is

present this is present; and when that is absent this is absent and

therefore that is a prerequisite for this. This can be simply illustrated by

an example. When we add sugar, the milk is sweet and when sugar is absent

the milk is not sweet - Hence we can write simply as an exercise as - sugar

sattve sweet sattvam, sugar abhaave sweet abhaavaH, tasmaat sugareva

sweetasya kaaraNam (this is just to illustrate the point!). Similarly from

general observation we come to know that whoever has saadhana chatushhTayam

he is able to get

the benefit of the Vedantic study, namely moksha - like Nachiketa in the

kaThopanishat, like the student in the Kena, etc. who have the necessary

qualifications - the proof is in the end of the teaching they say -

dhanyo.aha.n kR^itakR^ityo.aham...- etc. expressing outright joy at the

discovery of their freedom from limitations. On the other hand, a student

who does not have the saadhana chatushhTayam does not derive the benefit

even if he does the shravaNa, manana and nididhyaasana

etc. In kaThopanishat (I-2-24) a similar idea is conveyed when it says:

 

 

na avirataH dushcharitaat.h na ashaantaH na asamaahitaH |

na ashaanta-maanasaH vaa api praj~naanena enam aapnuyaat.h ||

 

whoever does not give up the foul actions, and whose mind is always

perturbed, who does not have a single pointedness and who does not have a

peace of mind, even if he studies Vedanta, he cannot attain the

self-realization. Shankara puts this idea nicely in his vivekachuuDaamaNi,

v. # 18

 

saadhanaat yatra chatvaari kathitaani maniishhibhiH |

yeshhu satsu eva sat nishhThaa yat abhaave na sidhyati ||

 

The wise people have spoken of the four qualifications that are

required. Only when they are present one can attain brahma nishhThaa or

established in Brahman, but when they are absent one cannot attain it. This

is the logical establishment for the requirement of saadhana

chatushhTayam using the logic of anvaya and vyatireka. If there is any more

doubt, we can cross examine our own lives. When these four-fold

qualifications are lacking, the study of Vedanta and Brahmasuutra becomes

only an academic exercise involving intellectual gymnastics. Study of the

suutra becomes more a cause for information rather than transformation of

the person. Thus using logic, Shankara shows that saadhana chatushhTayam is

required. This is called yukti pramaaNam.

 

We also have shruti pramaaNam to establish that the four-fold

qualifications are necessary for a vedantic student. They do not directly

state them but indirectly imply them. There are many but one

or two will be mentioned for reference here. Mundakopanishhat: I:ii:12

 

 

pariikshya lokaan.h karma chitaan.h braahmaNaH

nirveda-maayaat na asti akR^itaH kR^itena |

tat vij~naartha.n sa gurum eva abhigachchhet.h

samit paaNiH shrotriyamM brahma nishhTham.h ||

 

It is said that a seeker has to examine carefully all his life activities or

experiences to learn what is permanent and what is impermanent. From that

examination learn that all his experiences and

achievements are all impermanent. By implication of this statement, shruti

says one should have nitya anitya vastu viveka (discrimination of what is

permanent and what is impermanent), which is one of the four qualifications.

nirvedamaayaat - he should get disgusted with the anitya vastu or

impermanent results and having suffered enough he should know the limitation

of the impermanent results and hence turn his attention away from these -

That is he should have dispassion or vairaagyam. Tat vij~naartham sa

gurumeva abhigachchhet - he should approach a guru seeking the permanent

solution for his problem. This indicates the mumukshutvam a desire for the

freedom from limitations. Thus the sloka indicates the need for Viveka,

vairaagya and mumukshutvam, discrimination, dispassion and the desire for

liberation for a student seeking brahmavidya.

 

The same idea is presented in kaThopanishhat through the story of

Nachiketa, who is the glorious example of the person possessing all these

four qualification to the degree that the teacher Yama praises him to

heavens that he had not seen such a deserving student. When Nachiketa

requests for the Vedantic knowledge, Yama tempts him by offering everything

including a blank check to shun him away from his desire to know the means

for liberation. Nachiketa rejects all the offers without any hesitation and

insists that he wants only the brahmavidya and nothing else. The moral of

the story is if I want to gain brahmavidya like Nachiketa, I should be after

Moksha like him and throw away dharma artha kaama like -kaaka-vishhThaayaam

yathaiva- (a statement of Shankara in Aparokshaanubhuuti) meaning -like a

droppings of a crow- We just immediately wipe it out and do not claim that

getting rid of kaakavishhThaa, crow drops, is a great achievement. Just as a

person throws away effortlessly or without thinking twice kaakavishhThaa,

one should reject all the pleasures of the fourteen worlds. Nachiketa did

not ask for time-out to contemplate whether to take Yama's offer or not. It

was an outright rejection without a second thought. Through Nachiketa

story, shruti is guiding us to select shreyas over preyas (permanent

liberation over temporal pleasures) that is to have appropriate

discrimination, viveka, to select shreyas over preyas, and vairaagyam or

dispassion towards

preyas, and mumukshutvam - the necessity of all these four-fold

qualifications is presented. Yama says to Nachiketa (Katha Up.I-2-2):

 

 

shreyaH cha preyaH cha manushhyameta\

stau sampariitya vivinakti dhiiraH |

shreyaH hi dhiiraH abhi preyasaH vR^iNiite

preyaH mandaH yoga-kshemaat vR^iNiite ||

 

Man has always a choice between shreyas (what is good) and preyas (what is

pleasurable). Only an intelligent saadhak after contemplating decides to

select what is good over what is pleasurable. The dull witted ones are the

ones who select for sense of security and pleasure and go after the sensuous

objects. Thus scripture is guiding us to go after disciplined life which

helps to acquire the saadhana chatushhTaya sampatti.

 

Hence the necessity of the four-fold qualifications for a student of

brahmavidyaa are given in shruti in one form or the other. In these

shlokas, we get information about viveka, vairaagya and mumukshutvam. What

about the shama aadi shhaTka sampatti? Where is it mentioned in

the shruti? In bR^ihadaaraNyaka Upanishhad IV:iv:23 these are clearly

mentioned. There is a sloka that says:

 

shaantaH daantaH uparataH titikshuH shraddhaa

vitto bhuutvaa aatmanyeva aatmaanam pasyet|

 

In this statement shamaadi shaaTka sampatti is also emphasized. How about

that samaadhaana in that group of six which is not mentioned in the above

mantra? The BR^ihadaaranyaka has two versions, one belonging to kaanva

shaakha and the other belonging to maadhyandina shaakha. In one shaakha

shraddha is mentioned and in the other it is said as 'samaahito bhuutva'

indicating the need of samaadhaanam as qualification. This is also stated

in subaala upanishhat 9:12. Thus all the four-fold qualifications for a

student are mentioned in one form or the other in the shruti.

 

Thus with yukti pramaaNa and with shruti pramaaNa, Shankara proves that

-atha- means -saaddhana chatushhTaya anantaram-, that is -after acquiring

the four-fold qualifications.

 

In the next section we take puurvapakshi's or objector's arguments

against the above implied meaning for the atha shabdaH. My deep thanks to

shree sunder hattangadi for helping me in the transliteration and in getting

the correct references for the upanishat mantra-s. Any mistakes are mine.

 

End of Notes on BSB-I-i-1-1B ----------------------

 

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